Wests Tigers recorded a hard fought 19-12 victory over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium tonight in round 13 of the Telstra Premiership.

In a match played in wet conditions in front of a crowd of 11, 837, the Tigers had to come from behind in the second half to record their third consecutive win. It was the Bulldogs fifth straight loss.

Wests Tigers winger Daniel Fitzhenry missed the match with a hamstring injury. Mitch Brown moved off the interchange bench and started on the wing with Beau Ryan moving back to full-back.

Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers full-back Sean Meaney was promoted to the interchange bench to make his NRL debut.

The Bulldogs were denied a try by referee Shayne Hayne in the third minute when he ruled centre Josh Morris was tackled short of the line after the video referee Bill Harrigan ruled Refs Call.

Wests Tigers have had to absorb plenty of defence in the opening seven minutes.

Full-back Beau Ryan saved a 40/20 in the 18th minute when he forced the ball back inside before going over the sideline. He then quickly got up to be there for the play the ball.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the 21st minute when second-rower and captain Andrew Ryan brushed off the attempted tackle of half-back Rob Lui to pass the ball inside to centre Josh Morris to score behind the posts.

Winger Bryson Goodwin converted the try for a 6-0 lead.

Harrigan ruled no try to Bulldogs centre Jamal Idris in the 28th minute after Ryan waited and watched a clearing kick from hooker Michael Ennis go dead just as Idris placed a hand on the ball.

Wests Tigers opened their account when five-eighth Benji Marshall put through as grubber kick. The ball was spilt by full-back LukePatten and picked up by interchange back-rower Simon Dwyer who offloaded to Marshall to score under the posts.Harrigan ruled a fair try after referee Shayne Hayne called on him again.

Marshall converted the try for a 6-6 scoreline after 30 minutes.

The score remained that way at half-time after the Bulldogs had a try disallowed to Ennis after Ryan forced the ball in-goal under the posts.

2nd Half
Wests Tigers had half an opportunity to score when a grubber kick by Robbie Farah saw the ball kick forward by centre Geoff Daniela only for it to roll over the dead ball line in the 46th minute.

Marshall failed to convert a penalty attempt at goal in the 49th minute from 30 metres out and in front of the posts.

The Bulldogs jumped to a 10-6 lead when Andrew Ryan placed his hands on a grubber kick behind the line by half-back Brett Kimmorley.

Goodwin converted the try for a 12-6 lead after 54 minutes.

Farah got Wests Tigers back to 12-10 when he used his strength from dummy half to crash through the tackles of Ben Hannant and Yileen Gordon to score under the posts. '

Marshall converted the try from in front for a 12-12 scoreline after 60 minutes.

The Bulldogs and their fans were blowing up in the 65th minute when a pass from five-eighth Blake Green to Andrew Ryan was ruled forward. Ryan had already offloaded to Josh Morris who threw the ball to Goodwin who would have scored.

Wests Tigers edged ahead 13-12 in the 70th minute when Lui kicked a field goal from 15 metres out. It was the first field goal attempt for the match and Lui's first in the NRL.

Centre Chris Lawrence came up with a big defensive play in the 74th minute when he tackled Luke Patten in-goal from a Farah grubber kick to give the Wests Tigers a repeat set.

Farah was tackled short of the line on the third tackle. The Bulldogs got the ball back when a grubber kick on the last tackle by Beau Ryan went dead.

Wests Tigers secured victory when Marshall showed the ball twice in an acrossfield run to catch out Andrew Ryan and Kimmorley to put Dwyer over for his first try in just his fifth NRL game.

Marshall converted the try for a 19-12 lead after 78 minutes.

It remained that way until full-time. Gareth Ellis was named the man-of-the-match.

Wests Tigers move to 16 points on the ladder and have a bye next weekend before tackling the Canberra Raiders at Leichhardt Oval on Sunday, June 15.

Wests Tigers inflicted more misery on Canterbury with a 19-12 NRL victory at a sodden ANZ Stadium on Friday.

Tries from Benji Marshall, Robbie Farah and a late four-pointer from big second-rower Simon Dwyer sealed a third successive win for the Tigers, with the Bulldogs slumping to their fifth straight defeat.

More than 78 millimetres of rain drenched the playing surface in 24 hours and both sides found the conditions very difficult with the ball resembling a bar of soap for much of the first half as passes went to ground.

It was the home side that started the stronger, with Josh Morris being held up just short of the line by Beau Ryan after two minutes, but it was the closest either side came to troubling the scorers in the dour early exchanges.

However, the small home crowd of 11,837 came to life after Idris produced a bone-shuddering tackle that left Chris Heighington flat on his back.

And from the Bulldogs' next set, Morris did score, after great work from skipper Andrew Ryan, who drifted past Robert Lui to release the centre for the 50th try of his career.

The Tigers got themselves back on level terms on the half-hour mark when Bulldogs veteran fullback Luke Patten spilled a Farah grubber-kick, and Marshall reacted quickest to score, before slotting the conversion.

The Tigers dominated possession after the break, and should have taken the lead on 47 minutes, but Marshall, who has struggled with his kicking for much of the season, missed a straightforward penalty in front of the posts.

That let off lifted the Bulldogs, who scored their second try of the game with Ryan rounding off a superb move with his fourth four-pointer of the year.

Again it was Idris who played a big part in lifting his team, offloading brilliantly with a pop-up pass to Kimmorley as he was ambushed by two Tigers players, and the NSW halfback's kick across the ground was latched onto by a grateful Ryan in the 53rd minute.

With just three wins to their name all season, the Bulldogs showed why they are struggling, as they failed to build on their advantage as the Tigers again hit back seven minutes later when the impressive Farah took advantage of a quick play-the-ball to barge over from dummy-half.

It was a just reward for Farah who outshone his rival for the NSW hooking role Michael Ennis with a real captain's performance.

Lui's field goal gave Tim Sheens' side a priceless one-point lead nine minutes from time and Dwyer made sure of the two points in the dying seconds with his first ever try.

Updated June 4, 2010 22:15:00
Arm wrestle...the contest was a tight one all the way to the finish.

A Simon Dwyer try inside the final two minutes of play helped Wests Tigers secure a tight 19-12 victory over Canterbury at the Olympic stadium on Friday night.

Dwyer finished off some neat lead-up work from Benji Marshall to post the decisive try, giving the Tigers their seventh win of the season to help them consolidate a position in the top eight.

It had been an arm wrestle throughout the wet and slippery contest, illustrated when scores were locked at 12-12 with nine minutes to play before Tigers half-back Robert Lui slotted a field goal.

Dwyer's try iced the win and Marshall's conversion simply blew out the scoreline, while consigning the 13th-placed Bulldogs to their ninth defeat this season.

The Tigers have now won their past three matches since their embarrassing loss to South Sydney in round 10 and Marshall says he can see the momentum growing.

"For us to turn our season around with a few wins in a row going into the bye, it does wonders for our confidence," he told Grandstand.

Marshall was impressed with how the Tigers approached the encounter, considering the wet and wild weather that preceded kick-off.

More than 78 millimetres of rain drenched the playing surface in 24 hours and both sides found the conditions very difficult with the ball resembling a bar of soap for much of the first half as passes went to ground.

"It was tough out there," Marshall said.

"t wasn't ideal conditions for us but I thought we hung in there ... done the little things right tonight."

It was the Bulldogs that started the stronger, with Josh Morris being held up just short of the line by Beau Ryan after two minutes, but it was the closest either side came to troubling the scorers in the dour early exchanges.

However, the small crowd of 11,837 came to life after Jamal Idris produced a bone-shuddering tackle that left Chris Heighington flat on his back.

And from the Bulldogs' next set Morris did score, after great work from captain Andrew Ryan, who drifted past Lui to release the centre for the 50th try of his career.

The Tigers got themselves back on level terms on the half-hour mark when Bulldogs veteran full-back Luke Patten spilled a Robbie Farah grubber kick and Marshall reacted quickest to score, before slotting the conversion.

The visitors dominated possession after the break, and should have taken the lead on 47 minutes but Marshall, who has struggled with his kicking for much of the season, missed a straightforward penalty attempt in front of the posts.

That let-off lifted the Bulldogs, who scored their second try of the match with Ryan rounding off a superb move with his fourth four-pointer of the year.

Again it was Idris who played a big part in lifting his side, offloading brilliantly with a pop-up pass to Brett Kimmorley as he was ambushed by two Tigers players.

Kimmorley's kick across the ground was latched onto by a grateful Ryan in the 53rd minute.

With just three wins to their name all season, the Bulldogs showed why they are struggling, as they failed to build on their advantage as the Tigers again hit back seven minutes later when the impressive Farah took advantage of a quick play-the-ball to barge over from dummy half.

It was a just reward for Farah, who outshone his rival for the New South Wales hooking role Michael Ennis with a real captain's performance.

Lui's field goal gave Tim Sheens' side a priceless one-point lead nine minutes from time and Dwyer made sure of the two points in the dying seconds with his maiden try in the NRL.

DO NOT underestimate the significance of this result - for both sides. For the Bulldogs, it might be terminal; a fifth-consecutive loss at the halfway mark. And for the Tigers, a sign they can win the arm wrestle as well as the dance-off.

A week ago, the Tigers put 50 points on the Warriors. They only needed 13 last night, a 70th-minute field goal by halfback Robert Lui clinching the result and Simon Dwyer putting some polish on this dour affair just before full-time.

The Bulldogs were left ruing a late lack of effort as well as a key ruling.

There were no expletives this time but another controversial forward pass ruling late in a contest will be a talking point. A week after Johnathan Thurston had blown his top after his side was denied a late run, Blake Green shovelled the ball along the ground to Andrew Ryan, and the ball looked for all money to travel at the most sideways. Ryan sent the ball to centre Josh Morris, who set Bryson Goodwin on his way, but the play was called back and the Tigers were given a reprieve.

It must be said, though, the Bulldogs were their own worst enemies; with the match still on the line soon after, they failed to recognise the danger of a field goal, with Benji Marshall and Lui both in position. Lui was given an age to slot the one-pointer.

The two sides were separated by the barest of margins and it was quite appropriate. This was football to strangle in weather to drown.

The Tigers appeared to pay the price for the period early in the second half when they looked to have taken the game by the scruff of the neck, only to loosen their grip at the worst possible time.

They dominated the period, yet had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard - Marshall's missed penalty was the closest they came to points and the Bulldogs made them regret their profligacy, Ryan scoring from Brett Kimmorley's grubber.

But this match was nothing if not tight. Just as the Bulldogs looked to have assumed ascendancy, the Tigers struck back, through their own captain; Robbie Farah took the more direct route, burrowing over from dummy half.

The rain, which had poured down all day but stopped before kick-off, certainly lowered the crowd in attendance, which was announced at 11,837, and it made entertaining football difficult. The Tigers resembled a formula one car conserving fuel. One of the most entertaining sides in the competition, they were last night forced to play conservative football.

But the rain hardly dampened the fire. There is clearly a nice rivalry developing between these two clubs. Not only do they have hookers Michael Ennis and Farah battling each other for representative spots, they have Ben Hannant and Bryce Gibbs, well, just battling each other.

The two front-rowers had to be separated after full-time when the sides met in round six, due to an alleged religious slur by Gibbs against the Mormon Hannant. When they came together again for the first time, at the first scrum after seven minutes, there was immediate fire.

Speaking to Gibbs, referee Shayne Hayne barked: ''We've got a lot of the game to go.''

But the biggest hit of the night involved two other players. After 19 minutes, Bulldogs centre Jamal Idris bent Tigers second-rower Chris Heighington backwards, and from the next play Marshall's kick sailed out on the full. The Bulldogs' other centre, Morris, reaped the rewards by scoring the first try of the encounter and the 50th of his career, following Ryan's bust.

Idris almost scored after 27 minutes, but could only ground the ball on the dead-ball line from Ennis's kick, as the Tigers dithered at the back. From good fortune the Tigers found some good play of their own. On the half hour, Marshall's grubber was spilled by Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten, and Dwyer found Marshall following through to score, levelling the scores.

Both sides were feeling their way. The Tigers struggle with wet-weather football; the Bulldogs are just struggling.